The next morning, Joe and Hadad escorted Luke to C-Level for further procedures. Luke was made to drink a full barium solution and then was placed in a cramped cubicle for X-rays. After the imaging, Luke suffered stomach cramps and vomited a barium-laced version of his breakfast.

Tony Fizzale immediately ordered Luke to clean the mess, overruling Hadad’s offer to do it himself. Hadad fetched a mop and bucket, but Tony insisted Luke perform the cleanup. Joe quietly helped by lowering the heavy water bucket when Luke’s trembling arms made it difficult, whispering encouragement.

Luke mopped the floor, but Tony declared the first effort unacceptable and made him do it again. By then, Luke’s cramps had eased, and he managed the task without help. While Luke worked, Joe and Hadad casually discussed baseball, emphasizing the routine cruelty and indifference of the environment.

Afterward, Hadad praised Luke’s effort and asked Joe for tokens to give him; Joe produced four. Luke asked what the tests were for and whether he would ever get out. Hadad deflected about the tests, and Joe replied that Luke would be released but would not remember anything.

Luke’s new, clearer telepathic sense told him Joe was lying about release and memory erasure. He recognized that this was not traditional mind-reading but a certainty, reinforcing that the recent procedures had changed him. Hadad joked about not vomiting where Tony walked as they returned to the elevator.